Birds are a priceless part of Colorado’s heritage. Nearly 300 species nest within our borders and more than 100 others visit at various times of the year. Our state’s diversity of habitats— from short grass prairie and alpine meadow to piñon-pine woodlands and cottonwood-lined streams—provide rich resources for a variety of bird species. Their numbers and kinds change with the seasons as they move across oceans and continents, coming from lands that we may never see.

Birds are a treasure and a legacy we share with people around the world. Birds are beautiful, they are economically important, and they reflect the health of our environment. They add life, sound, and color to our lives. Our passion for our feathered brethren is evident: wildlife watching generates $122 billion annually in our country’s economy, and one in every four American adults is a bird watcher.

Our next celebration is dazzling-white; the Seventh Annual High Plains Snow Goose and Birding Festival headquartered at Lamar High School, 1900 South 11th Street in Lamar, on February 25th - 28th, 2010.

Lesser snow geese, the center of attention at this event, are considered to be the most abundant goose in the world and number at least 6 million. Biologists estimate there are least five million lesser snow geese in North America that are divided into four distinct populations. The lesser snow geese that bird watchers will see at the High Plains Snow Goose Festival are part of the Western Central Flyway population. The flock winters in southeastern Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico, the Texas panhandle and northern Mexico. You can view these enormous flocks as they head back to their summer nesting grounds in the Canadian Arctic.

Lesser snow geese come in two different color phases within the same species. In the white phase, the geese are as white as snow except for the black wing tips. The other phase, called blue geese, is slate gray with a white head. Both have a dark "grinning patch" on the sides of their bill. Mixed in the flocks of snow geese you may find some Ross' geese, which look very much like snow geese except that they are two-thirds the size of snow geese and do not have the grinning patch. For maps and more information, visit: http://www.highplainssnowgoose.com/.

Just before the spring equinox, head to the San Luis Valley to celebrate the migration of one of Colorado’s most spectacular birds the sandhill crane. The 27th Annual Monte Vista Crane Festival will be March 12-14, 2010.

For millions of years, sandhill cranes have made their annual journey from south to north, stopping off near the Monte Vista National Wildlife Refuge to rest and feed. At the refuge and the surrounding farmlands, visitors can view flocks of dancing sandhills up close and personal. There will be educational workshops at Monte Vista Middle School hosted by wildlife experts, bus tours, a craft fair and more. Look for updates at http://www.cranefest.com/.

For each bird festival, prepare for all types of weather; bring a bird guide and binoculars or a spotting scope for viewing. Viewing is usually best during the early morning or late evening hours, especially on warmer days.

More to Enjoy 

For more information, visit the Web site of the Garden of the Gods Visitor & Nature Center, or call 719/219-0108.

Eckert Crane Days, Eckert, March 20 & March 27, 2010.
From the Eckert Crane Days Web site: "From early March to mid-April, greater sandhill cranes in small and large flocks glide into Heart's Basin of the Surface Creek Valley, and land at Fruitgrowers Reservoir east of Eckert. Most of the 20,000+ migrating birds come to the reservoir for an overnight stay to rest, feed, and regroup, relying on the reservoir's water and wetlands for protection, and adjacent agricultural lands for food. The following morning they lift off in an organized mayhem of flight and sound that cannot be forgotten."

Get schedules, maps, information about other wildlife seen at this time of year, lodging suggestions, and more at the Eckert Crane Days Web site.

Based solely on their observations, biologists once thought that more than 90 percent of bird species were monogamous. Picture an archetypal male and female robin, collaborating in nest building, then devotedly taking turns incubating the eggs and feeding their young. Those that did not pair for life, thought the researchers, were at least annually monogamous, forming new bonds each mating season. Recently, DNA analysis of nestlings nixed that idea. It turns out that many male birds are raising other males' babies! Most of our feathered brethren practice social monogamy—they live and raise young in pairs but are sexually unfaithful.

There's a lot more to this story. Read on . . .

Do Something Wild!

Colorado was the first state to implement a tax check-off program for nongame, threatened, and endangered species. About 80% of our state’s species are nongame—they are species that aren't hunted, trapped or fished for. Funds from the check-off program have helped recover peregrine falcons, bald eagles, river otters, boreal toads, and razorback suckers in the Colorado River, and, most recently, reintroduction of Canada lynx. See the Do Something Wild page for more information and a form to give to your tax preparer showing your contribution.

This funding source relies upon voluntary donations from the public and is tax-deductible (and does not increase your tax). Over the years, cumulative taxpayer donations have exceeded $7,500,000 and have made the difference in protecting Colorado species. We have not had species become extinct in Colorado in recent years, in large measure because of the check-off donations. Your decision to check the Nongame and Endangered Wildlife fund box on your 2009 Colorado Income Tax Return will continue to make a difference!